


Love's a Funny Thing

by JustxAxRandomxPersonx



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama & Romance, F/M, Female Reader, Fluff and Smut, Porn With Plot, Reader-Insert, lots of fluff, or at least kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-09-11 03:10:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8951623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustxAxRandomxPersonx/pseuds/JustxAxRandomxPersonx
Summary: When you moved to Alola only a few days ago the last thing you expected was to find a man nearly freezing to death on your doorstep. He's rude, loud, and wouldn't know a thing about romance if it jump kicked him in the face. You don't know why you start falling for him - but hey, love's a funny thing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first reader insert story and I just hope I do a good job! I've read a few really great fics so far and thought I'd give it a try. A lot of people have Guzma as this really 'experienced' guy so fair warning: he'll be a complete dork who doesn't know the first thing about romance here lol More about both the readers and Guzma's past will be explained in later chapters. Also, this is kind of an AU, but it does take place a little while after the final pokemon battle Guzma had on the beach. Hope you like it!

"Fucking perfect," Guzma muttered as the snow blew down in a horizontal blur. A strong gust of wind knocked his hood right off his head, allowing the snow to hit him directly. He didn't really believe in things like karma, but if something like that actually did exist, he was experiencing it now. 

A string of curses flew out of his mouth as he roughly tugged the hood of his jacket over his head once again before stuffing his cold hands securely in his pockets. Snow battered his face but all he could do was bow his head until his chin touched his chest and keep walking. The solid crunch of his shoes against the snow covered ground filled his ears. His feet felt like they were beginning to freeze; it didn't help that with each step he took his feet would sink into the snow until reached past his ankles. 

It was only yesterday that the sky had been picture perfect, like something he'd see on one of those post cards with 'Alola!' written in the corner. Sure it had been chilly, but it was nothing like _this_. Now, he couldn't see even a hint of blue sky and his cheeks were stinging from the cold. 

_'Fucking snow,'_ Guzma thought, stomping his feet with each step. "Wish it'd just fuck off." 

He had never been a fan of snow. The mere mention of the word made him want to grab a flamethrower. He hated how cold his toes got, how wet it made his clothes, and really- _it was dangerous as hell_. He lost count of how many times he had slipped on ice, not to mention his damn nose was frozen and felt like it was going to fall off any second. 

His craved Tapu Cocoa. Not that he could actually afford any. 

He was dirt poor at the moment, having spent the last of his money on food for his Pokemon yesterday. It didn't help that people avoided him like the fucking plague; they'd catch a glimpse of him and nearly trip over themselves in an effort to get away. Part of him wanted to run after a few and tackle them - force them to battle with him. But he knew, in the very back of his head, he shouldn't. It was his fault people feared him, and he wouldn't be gaining any brownie points by attacking people. Any money he saved from battles against the few trainers that weren't scared shitless of him were put aside for food for both him and his Pokemon. 

Any time he won, Guzma received both the prize money and a look of contempt. He didn't give a _flying fuck_ what they thought of him, but he'd be damned if he let his Pokemon starve. There were no berries growing this time of year, and with how cold it's gotten, fewer trainers were seen outside. With this blizzard, he'd be surprised if he saw anyone at all. 

He cursed himself for not finding a Pokemon center to sleep in last night. He'd been avoiding going near one just for the day because going there meant people and people meant an endless night of glares and rude remarks. 

_"The fuck did you say!?"_ he had yelled the day before. If they wanted to say something they could say it louder, give him a reason to beat them down. A sudden movement by the man's legs caught his attention, and Guzma found himself staring at the face of a frightened child. His outburst had scared the kid, and now the little boy was shaking behind the legs of his father. 

For a split second he saw himself - scared, shaking, and hiding from his fathers booming voice - and without another word, he left. 

So last night, instead of heading to a Pokemon center, he'd wandered aimlessly, lost in thought while going by houses with smoke coming out the chimney and Christmas lights hung on trees. He remembered the tree in his living room and how his mother always forced him to help decorate it. He'd had grumbled and protested, but secretly he enjoyed putting up ornaments. He'd even had two favorite ones - one shaped like a Wimpod and the other shaped like a Ariados. He remembered baking bug Pokemon shaped gingerbread cookies. He remembered trying to wrap the new golf club he and his mother got for his father. He also remembered yelling, his favorite ornaments lying broken on the floor, and presents being stomped on. 

Before Guzma knew it, it had gotten dark out. He had been wandering around all day, so, ignoring his cold arms, he plopped down on a nearby bench and attempted to fall asleep. 

Now here he was, lost in a sea of fucking snow as the sky grew darker. For all he knew , he could've been walking in circles the whole time. There was no way of knowing which direction to go; he could hardly see a few feet ahead of him with all the white that swirled around him. 

He wasn't sure how long he'd been waking but already it was dark. He was barely able to continue pressing forward. His muscles were cramped from the cold and his feet were beginning to hurt. 

Guzma rubbed his exposed arms before squinting his eyes and trying to see through the wall of falling snow. His eyes widened and he rubbed them just to make sure he wasn't imagining the image. 

He wasn't. There was a house not too far from where he stood, light pouring out from a few windows. He knew without a doubt whoever lived there wouldn't welcome him inside with open arms, but there was a porch with a sloping ceiling that could shield him from the snow and that was enough of an invitation for him. 

He was exhausted, but with the little bit of energy he had left, Guzma quickened his pace toward his temporary shelter. As he got closer, his vision was becoming blurry and darkness started to cloud his eyes. 

His legs became wobbly as he reached the porch, and for a brief desperate moment, he wondered if he could knock on the front door and demand a blanket. The thought was short lived however, as his body finally gave way. 

"S'not my day," he slurred, knees finally buckling. The last thing he saw was the floor coming up to meet him. 

o~O~o

"I thought I'd never finish," you grumbled, pulling out your last article of clothing from the box. 

Moving _sounded_ fun -a new area, new home, hopefully some new friends- but actually moving had been absolute hell. The boxes were endless! You didn't even remember having so much stuff. 

You had moved in a few days ago and had been up day and night opening boxes, putting things away and decorating. You're Pokemon had been happy to help, which was sweet, but their painting skills weren't exactly the best. A+ for effort though. 

Truthfully, you wouldn't have been able to afford the house on your own. When your grandmother had passed, she had left you a fair amount of money. After taking care of the funeral expenses you wasted no time in packing up everything and moving far _far_ away. Living in Kanto wasn't horrible, but you had always dreamed of moving to Alola, and far away from your father. You're grandmother had always been supportive of you, had rooted for you went you traveled with your Pokemon, had encouraged you when you thought you'd never leave Kanto. Now here you were, and you wished you could thank her a thousand times over. 

Alola was absolutely beautiful, and it would be even more beautiful once the snow melted. Sure it was pretty to look at, and you'd be lying if you said you didn't enjoy a good snowball fight, but you were not a fan of the cold. 

Also, what was it about the cold weather that made you want to just curl up in bed and sleep the day away? 

You hadn't really met any of the locals, but then again you doubted you'd see anyone out and about in this weather. Besides the movers and a few people you saw at the store when you went out, you'd only seen one other person. 

You had been in the guest room laying out a blanket on the bed because who knew? Maybe a friend from Kanto would want to come visit. A part of you doubted it though, you hadn't really talked to your old friends in a while. They seemed to be stopping communication with you slowly but surely. Was it one of those out of sight out of mind things? The thought hurt your feelings but then again, you might be overreacting. 

You had gone into the bathroom to handle business when you heard noise coming from your bedroom. Your first thought had been that it was one of your Pokemon, but when you remembered they were in their Poké Balls, cold sweat began forming on your forehead and your heart began beating painfully in your chest. 

In a moment of sheer panic, you grabbed the closest thing to you. Never mind that you had Pokemon, you were in fight or flight mode and couldn't think straight. You stepped out of the bathroom silently, the plunger firmly gripped in your hands, and ready to jab the handle in the intruders eyes if need be. 

Turning the handle to your room slowly, you pushed open the door to reveal what had to be the strangest thing you'd ever seen. What looked to be a trainer, no older than eleven was in your bed. And was she..

Was she sniffing your pillow? 

_"Eh hem,"_ you finally said after a moment. The trainer immediately got up, greeted you and took her leave; not even offering an explanation. You hoped not everyone around here was like that. 

_'This is why I triple check to make sure I locked the door,'_ you thought, coming back to the present. You yawned, stretching your arms above your head. You'd most likely sleep like a baby tonight. 

Glancing at your bed longingly, you grabbed your coat and walked out of your room and down the stairs. It was getting late and you'd have to feed both you and your Pokemon soon. Thankfully you had bought a few things the day before, it'd suck to have to go out in this weather. 

Passing the living room, you resisted the urge to break out in a happy dance once again when you saw your fireplace. Never did you think you'd have an actual fireplace and you couldn't help but to stop and admire it for a few moments every time you passed it. 

Walking toward the small closet by the front door, you stopped suddenly, hearing the unmistakable sound of loud footsteps on the porch. Was it the girl again? A Pokémon? A murderer? 

This time you remembered your Pokemon and reached into the pocket of your pants to grab a Poké Ball. Usually you'd had have them all out to relax around your home, but you had been pondering going out to get more cups -because most of your nicest glass ones broke when moving- if the snow had stopped. 

Inching your way toward the door, you nearly had a heart attack when you heard a loud _thud_ come from outside. Bracing yourself, you unlocked the door and swung the door open only to see..

Nothing. 

Confused, you looked left and right before looking down after wondering about the thud you heard. 

A scream was stuck in your throat as you looked at what could only be a dead body lying on your front porch. You stared in absolute horror and then nearly broke down in happy tears once you saw his body rising and falling slightly with each breath. 

"Thank goodness," you gasped. 

Hesitantly, you bent down and tried to turn him over as gently as you could. His clothes are soaking wet and freezing; you're not too surprised when he doesn't wake as you move him. It's harder than you thought it'd be, he's larger then you had thought he was, but you soon managed to get him on his back. 

You took a brief moment to look at him. His tousled white hair was as wet as his clothes and he was as pale as the snow sticking to his shoes. Judging from the dark rings around his eyes, he needed about a weeks worth of sleep. 

You didn't know who he was, he could be a raging lunatic for all you know - but whoever he was, you couldn't leave him outside to freeze to death. 

o~O~o

He was uncomfortable. That was his first thought. It was warm, which was a hell of a lot better than being cold as fuck, but his clothes were wet and sticking to him uncomfortably. 

Despite this, Guzma was very reluctant to open his eyes. He was laying on something comfy, he was warm, and despite the wetness he felt like he could fall right back to sleep. 

Maybe this was a dream, because last he checked he was freezing to death on someone's front porch, and if this was a dream.. well he sure as hell didn't want to open his eyes and risk waking up. 

He was content to just lay there with his eyes firmly closed for a while longer until he felt something soft rubbing his head. Whoever, or whatever was rubbing the top of his hair seemed to be trying to do it gently, but the shock of someone actually touching him made him open his eyes - his thoughts of this being a dream firmly flying out the window. 

What he saw shocked him more than the fact that this wasn't a dream. A woman was leaning over him, a small towel in her hands as she tried to dry his wet hair. 

The word angel flew around in his brain for just a moment as he stared slack jawed at you. But that couldn't be possible, someone like him wouldn't be able to meet a angel that's for sure. 

You might of not been an angel but you sure as hell looked like one to him. You looked peaceful, angelic , _beautiful._

If he was any other man maybe he might of said that aloud. Maybe he might've said some cheesy romantic line, but he wasn't that man. Instead, the first thing that flew out of his mouth was:

"Who the hell are you?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy you guys enjoyed the first chapter! Thank you for the nice responses and I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays :) I wanted to mention that if anyone maybe wants to see one of their Pokemon in the story I'd be happy to add them. I have one Pokemon (that you'll see in this chapter) already planned cus it's my favorite lol but please leave a comment telling me which of your Pokemon you'd want to see if that's something you'd like :)

_"Who the hell are you?"_

Admittedly, you had not expected him to wake up anytime soon. You were concentrating so hard on drying his hair as gently as you could so you wouldn't wake him, and were actually startled by his gruff voice. You choked back your urge to scream and pulled the towel away from him. 

"Y/N," you answered automatically, fidgeting in place. Now that he was awake the worry you felt about his wellbeing was slowly being replaced by a tinge of fear. You didn't know this man. Should you ask him to leave? One glance out the nearby window answered your question. It continued to snow and was extremely dark out, you couldn't just send him out there. He'd probably freeze to death by the time he got to the end of the walkway. 

While you were caught up in those thoughts you didn't hear the mumbled, "Y/N," as if testing the sound of your name on his tongue. 

You took a deep breath to calm your nerves before asking, "How are you feeling?"

He ignored the question, choosing to sit up, bringing his legs down to the floor as he glanced around your living room. His brows pulled together and his lips turned down into a frown. "And where the hell am I?"

"My home." You wondered if he remembered fainting outside. "You were lying unconscious on my porch so I brought you inside."

Finally he looked back at you, giving you a once over. "I didn't ask ya to help me."

"Well, you were _unconscious_ ," you frowned. 

"Even if I wasn't, I don't need some little-"

_"I'm 21-"_ you quickly interrupted, almost expecting him to call you a kid. You dared not even utter the word _short_ when describing yourself, but even you knew your height wasn't anywhere near impressive. 

_"Short stack,"_ he continued, "dragging me against my will into some fuckin house."

"I didn't _drag_ you," you nearly yelled. Part of you wondered if you should have left him out there; he obviously wasn't too happy about being _here_. "My Pokemon helped me bring you in. Besides, you'd probably be a human popsicle right now if I hadn't found you out there."

He leaned forward then, resting his elbows on his knees. "Why'd ya help me anyways?"

"What do you mean why?" you asked. "Was I supposed to just leave you out there to freeze?" 

"Nobody does somethin' for nothin'. What do you want? Money? Cus I don't have-"

"Is it so hard to believe I didn't want you to die out there?"

That shut him up. An eyebrow rose and his mouth opened slightly, as if he was about to say something. He looked.. confused? You wondered briefly if maybe the reason he didn't seem even a tiny bit grateful to you was because perhaps he'd been suspicious of your intentions? Was the idea of someone not having any ulterior motive foreign to him? 

It's then that he notices the Pokemon in the room. It's head is tucked between claws that looked as if they'd be able to tear him open without much effort. It's tail is wrapped around its side, a bright flame flickering at the tip of it. It's eyes are open, focused on every move- every twitch, he makes. 

"What the _fuck_ is a Charizard doing in your living room!?"

You held back a laugh at his reaction. "Charizard is one of my Pokemon. He likes lying by the fireplace."

Your Pokemon lifts his head from his claws. Both he and Charizard almost seemed to be having a staring contest. Neither made any movements and part of you wondered if they were sizing each other up. 

"So," you finally said, having had enough. Seriously, did they even blink? "Who are you? Do you live near here?"

"What?" He broke eye contact with your Pokemon to give you the same confused look he had before. "Ya don't know me?"

You shook your head 'no'. Should you know him? Had you met before? Nobody lived close by, and you were sure you hadn't run into him while you were out. Surely you would have remembered seeing _him_. You were sure he wasn't someone who could be easily forgotten, from his looks to his attitude. Speaking of looks..

_'He's actually kind of handsome,'_ you thought, before immediately taking said thought and mentally chucking it out the window. 

"How could ya live in Alola and not know about your boy Guzma?"

"My.." you shook your head. "I just moved here," you answered, gesturing to a few empty boxes in the corner. "What happened? How did you end up on my porch?"

"Got lost," was his short answer. He still seemed confused, and once again you couldn't help but focus on the dark rings around his eyes. It had gotten late and whatever had happened, he might be more open to tell you in the morning after resting. But first, you weren't sure how long he'd been out there or how long he'd been lost, so maybe he needed food? Some water? You didn't want him to faint from dehydration or malnutrition.

"Are you hungry?" you asked quickly. "Do you need anything?"

"Yeah actually," he said, and for the first time that night Guzma's mouth lifted up in a grin. "You got any Tapu Cocoa?"

o~O~o

Guzma woke up feeling surprisingly well rested the next morning. He couldn't remember when the last time was that he had slept through the whole night. Then again, he couldn't remember the last time he had slept on a bed this comfortable. At first though, he had woken up confused -he didn't know where the hell he was, until the events from last night came back to him. 

After having what had to be the best goddamn Tapu Cocoa he'd ever had, Y/N had told him he could use her washer and dryer if he wanted to. Not wanting to stay in wet clothes longer than necessary, Guzma took her up on her offer. He'd practically locked himself in the small room with the washer and dryer until his clothes were finished. He didn't have any evidence, but he was sure that Charizard wasn't too happy about him being here. If he even tried to walk out without a shirt on, he suspected the Pokemon would find a way to burn his fucking nipple right off. 

That was the only reason. It wasn't also because the thought of walking half naked with Y/N out there made him feel almost jittery or anything. Why the hell would he care anyway? 

Guzma wasn't sure how long he'd been in there; he had put the machines on their quickest setting after Y/N had shown him how. By the time he finally walked out with his now dry clothes on, Y/N was turning off a few lights, probably getting ready for bed. 

He had stood somewhat awkwardly as he waited for her to notice him. He wasn't really sure what to do. Should he just leave? Lay back down on the couch? 

_"All done?"_ you had asked, finally noticing him. 

Guzma shoved his hands in his pockets and took a step forward. _"Yeah they're dry now."_

_"That's good,"_ you said. He noticed you were carrying a few bowls in your hands but before he could wonder about that, you spoke again. _"So are you ready to go-"_

_"Yeah,"_ Guzma cut you off. He didn't need to hear you tell him to go. He didn't know what else he'd expected- of course you'd want him to leave. Hell, he'd probably had kicked himself out right when he woke up if he was you. _"No worries, I'm leavin' now. Don't gotta worry about me takin' up space or anythin'."_

_"What are you talking about?"_ you frowned. _"I was just going to ask if you were ready to go up to bed."_

_"What the fu-,"_ he started, but he couldn't seem to finish the sentence. He was trying to process your words and make actual fucking sense with them. He couldn't help but notice you looked almost offended, as if the thought of sending him out in the cold was a crime in itself. _"Whaddya mean bed?"_

_"There's a guest room upstairs,"_ you explained. _"I also have some food for your Pokemon if they're hungry. You can feed them in the room if you want, I grabbed a few bowls for them."_

Guzma was sure he looked like a damn Magikarp with his mouth opening and closing. He wasn't sure if he eventually answered or simply nodded, but he remembered following you -and the heavy steps of Charizard following _him_ \- up the stairs, down a hall and into a room. He remembered you placing the bowls on the night table by the bed and the bag of food on the floor; you had explained to him where the bathroom was and told him you hoped he'd have a good nights sleep. 

Before the door clicked shut he had muttered a _'thanks'_ , but he wasn't sure if you heard him. Part of him hoped you hadn't. It felt weird to say out loud, and he couldn't help but wonder when the last time he thanked a person was. 

At some point he had gotten up to use the bathroom - nature was calling. Guzma had opened the door just a bit before stopping abruptly at seeing the large figure across from him. Y/N's Charizard was curled up outside what could only be her room like a damn guard. It was staring right at him, eyes practically glowing in the dark hallway. _'Fuck it,'_ he had thought. Nature could wait. 

Guzma sat up in the bed and threw his legs over the side. He wasn't really sure he wanted to leave; he'd had the best nights sleep in what had to be forever, but he knew he had to get up. Y/N would probably want him gone soon now that it was morning, and he couldn't blame her if that was the case. He was lucky enough to have knocked out on the porch of someone who didn't know him, didn't scowl at him and degrade him. He was sure that if anyone else had found him half frozen on the floor, they'd mutter a half assed _'pity'_ and be on their merry way. 

Grabbing his Poké Balls from the night table, Guzma stood, pulled on his former team skull jacket and made his way out the room, to the bathroom. He still wasn't really sure what to think about the whole situation. He half expected Y/N to still corner him and demand something in return for going through the trouble of helping him. There had to be a catch, right? 

o~O~o

Guzma shut the bathroom door after taking care of business and immediately stood a little straighter. He turned his head toward the steps and began sniffing the air like a crazed canine. Like a man possessed, he quickly followed the smell down the steps and to the kitchen. 

You were standing at the stove in a simple t-shirt and sweatpants and your hair thrown up in a messy bun. Guzma ran his hands down his shirt, trying to smooth down the wrinkles before stopping himself and wondering why he bothered. He never cared before. 

"Yo!" Guzma grinned when he saw you jump. Apparently you hadn't heard him come in. "What's that smell?"

You turned quickly, he had startled you and once again you found yourself having to choke back a scream in his presence. 

"Guzma," you smiled. "Good morning! I'm making breakfast, you can sit at the table if you want. It's almost done."

Guzma was grateful you had turned back to the food because his hand immediately clutched at his chest in a panic. He was pretty sure his heart had damn near stopped. If he was another man maybe he would have described it as his heart skipping a beat at the sight of an actual _genuine_ smile meant for him, and how nice you looked when you did it. But he wasn't that man, so instead he was simply convinced that he was having a heart attack and decided not to question it. 

He pulled out a chair and dropped rather unceremoniously in it. He leaned his arm on the table and rested his head on his palm, watching you place the food on two plates. When was the last time someone had made him a home cooked meal? Hell, when was the last time he sat down at a kitchen table? 

"It's just toast, eggs and bacon," you said, placing the plate in front of him. "I really have to do some shopping, I don't have too much right now, I'm sorry." 

"S'fine," Guzma assured, mouth watering. Who knew food could look and smell so good? 

You sat across from him and ate in silence for a few moments, watching as Guzma practically inhaled the food. You hadn't cooked for another person since your grandmother passed, and was secretly pleased to see he was clearly enjoying it. You wondered if you should make more, he was already almost finished. Had he been that hungry? 

"Guzma?" 

"What's up?" he answered, mouth full of food. You tried not to grimace at the bits that flew from his mouth. 

"Do you have family that live near here?" you asked. 

He frowned, chewing his food a bit slower now. "Why?"

"I mean, you said you were lost. I thought maybe you were on your way to see your family yesterday for Christmas or something."

"No one was expectin' to see me for Christmas."

"Oh," you decided not to ask why nobody was expecting to see him. You didn't want him to think you were being too nosy. "Well do you at least live close to here? Maybe when it stops snowing we could try and find-"

"I got no place to go alright?" His voice rising in apparent frustration. 

You hesitated for only a brief moment before asking, "So what will you do?"

"I'll figure somethin' out," he grumbled, going back to his food. He was obviously finished with the conversation and you couldn't help but frown. Was he really planning on going back out into a blizzard again? He'd just get lost. _Again._ He'd faint from the cold just like he did yesterday! Only this time he might do it in the middle of nowhere, where someone wouldn't see him. He'd be left alone out there. Could you really just let that happen?

"Stay here," you finally said. 

His half eaten toast was inches away from his open mouth when you had spoken. For a minute you thought your words had frozen him. He just sat there with his mouth open and his toast in his hands. His lips only moved to let out a confused: _"What?"_

"Just temporarily! I mean, it's still snowing outside and I just want to help-" 

"You crazy or somethin!?" he yelled. "Ya can't just say that to a damn stranger, what if I was some kinda murderer?"

"I think you would have tried to hurt me already if that's what you wanted to do," you reasoned. "Besides, even if you did try anything, you probably wouldn't get very far." 

You glanced at the entryway to the kitchen and he turned his head to see what you were looking at. Charizard stood there staring at Guzma, as if waiting for him to do something even remotely suspicious.

Guzma quickly turned his attention back to you. "If you're trying to get me to stay here, you're doin' a piss poor job. Your Pokemon looks like it'd murder me in my fucking sleep."

"I'm sorry," you laughed. Charizard seemed to think it safe, since he turned to walk toward the fireplace. "He's a little overprotective of me."

"Just a little?" he grumbled sarcastically before going back to eating. You couldn't help but frown, he hadn't given you an answer. 

"You have some crumbs on your face right here," you said, pointing at the side of your mouth. He reached up a hand to wipe his cheek. "No, lower. No, on the other side."

Grabbing for a napkin, you leaned over the table to wipe the spot for him. You hadn't really meant to do it, it was automatic. You must have startled him or something because as soon as your hand got close to him, his eyes grew large and he moved away. 

Guzma leaned backward abruptly in surprise, tipping the chair before crashing clumsily to the ground. You quickly got up and stood over him, attempting _not_ to laugh.

"Are you okay?"

"What the hell were ya doin'!?" Guzma exclaimed, trying to fight back the warmth he felt gathering in his cheeks. He couldn't remember the last time someone had willingly wanted to touch him, and he didn't know how to handle the situation. He knew he probably looked fucking stupid, and he was quickly becoming angry with himself for overreacting. 

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to get the crumbs off for you." 

"Tch." Guzma looked away from you, his anger with himself rising with each passing second. You probably thought he was some kind of idiot. His hand started reaching up, intent on tugging at his hair, but it's ascent stopped abruptly when he felt something wrap around it. 

"Here," you said, giving his hand a light squeeze. "Let me help you." 

He couldn't help but think back to when he fist saw you leaning over him, drying his wet hair with a gentleness he'd forgot even existed. Would it be selfish to stay here? He knew better than anyone he was a hard person to be around. He had nothing to offer you and doubted you'd enjoy his company for long, if you even enjoyed it now. But the warmth of your hand was inviting and when he closed his own fingers around your much smaller hand, he already knew the answer. 

Guzma couldn't help but grin. "Alright."

He was a selfish man, he'd be the first one to admit to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a little bit of a hard time with this chapter, so I'm not too happy with it. I hope it came out okay though and I'm sorry if things seem a little slow at first. But thank you again to the people who left comments before! I was so happy to see you guys liked chapter 1 :) Also if anyone wants to literally just talk to me about Guzma -cus im trash- my Tumblr is xephemerall :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm honestly so surprised at how much you guys like this story and I just want to say thank you soo much to everyone who's left kudos and comments :) I loved reading them and they honestly helped motivate me to write this next chapter, I was pretty stuck on it for a while and I'm sorry for how long it took to update but hopefully it came out alright! Also I just want to mention, a few people have messaged me on my Tumblr about someone taking my story and posting it somewhere else - thank you for letting me know! I didn't get to talk to them but I was told the person took the story down (which I want to say thank you for doing that) and apologized :) But again thank you everyone who told me about it!

Guzma peeked outside, checking both the floor and hallway before deciding to take a step out of the room. 

"Fucking crazy Pokemon," he muttered, walking toward the steps. He half expected to see them waiting at the bottom. 

o~O~o

It all began when he first met your Pokemon. The first few seemed normal enough: A Typhlosion who was a bit too 'cuddly' for Guzma. Y/N had to practically drag the Pokemon away to make it stop rubbing it's head against him. Next was a Weavile who had glanced at him, seemingly interested in his presence for only a moment before turning to her food and effectively ignoring him - which was fine with him. 

The third was a Beedrill, much to his surprise and joy. He hadn't met many people who liked or even owned bug Pokemon. They had the tendency to 'freak people out' with how they looked, though Guzma couldn't understand why. There was also the misconception that bug Pokemon were weaker than other Pokemon, and he had fully enjoyed proving to people how wrong that statement was. 

_"I didn't think you'd have a bug Pokemon,"_ he had said, trying not to show his excitement. _"Not many people like 'em."_ He watched as the Beedrill hovered around your head, it's soft _bzzz_ could be heard despite the crunching sound of the others eating their food. His hand twitched, wanting to reach up and pet him. 

_"Ya got any Poké Beans I can give it?"_

You had laughed then, and for a moment he thought his knees turned into jelly. _"Wait until after he eats Guzma, then you can give him some."_

The next two were the reason for his caution now. 

He remembered when the first one came out - he had first saw a large, crouching, red body with black stripes. Slowly it stood to it's full height and though it wasn't very tall compared to him, Guzma couldn't help but feel a small chill go down his spine when it turned to settle it's dark, mischievous eyes on him. A Krookodile, he realized, and glanced at the pointed teeth. Said Pokemon lifted the corner of it's mouth in what could only be described as a smirk. 

Guzma frowned at the smug looking Pokemon, and only then noticed the dark gray blob floating by the Krookodile's head. His gaze landed on the three short spikes on its head, and then dripped down to the zipper where it's mouth should of been. It looked almost like a Pokemon doll you could get at the store, though he was sure he'd never seen one as creepy as this. 

_"Do you have to unzip its mouth for it to eat or somethin'?"_

_"No,"_ you answered, placing a bowl of food on the floor next to Krookodile. _"Well, actually I've never tried. They say Banette keeps its life force safely in its body by its zipped up mouth, and if it's unzipped it would lose its energy."_

_"Then how the fuck does it eat?"_ he questioned, still staring at the zipper. 

You grabbed another bowl and paused, thinking. After a moment you simply shrugged. _"I just leave the food out and don't question it."_

Although he was curious as hell, Guzma had decided not to question it too much either. After a little while he had let his own Pokemon out, and was secretly pleased when Y/N began gushing over them, but scowled when you mentioned he and Golisopod looked like each other. 

_"Not literally,"_ you laughed. "It's just that both of you kind of have that hunched-over posture."

When you had turned to the sink to do a few dishes, he immediately stood straighter, ignoring the way Golisopod stared at him. If he didn't know any better, he'd think it was silently laughing at him. 

Y/N had left him alone to be with his Pokemon for most of the day, and he wasn't sure if he was happy or disappointed. He still didn't know how to feel about the whole situation, just the fact that she left him alone without worrying he'd steal something was throwing him off. He wasn't completely alone though, he had noticed your Pokemon wandering around. One in particular wouldn't leave his damn side and he didn't know what to do about it. 

_"Don't ya got a trainer to cuddle somewhere else?"_ he grumbled to the Typhlosion curled up next to him. He had doubted there was room for the both of them on the couch, but the determined Pokemon proved him wrong. 

The rest of the day was uneventful, he hardly saw you except when it was time to eat. He guessed you were trying to give him some space, to let him think and spend time with his Pokemon but again he wasn't sure if he appreciated it or was disappointed. 

Later on, he remembered dragging his feet up the steps and to the room. His gaze lingered on Y/N's door before pushing open his own and stepping inside the room. 

_"Guzma."_

He paused and looked back, seeing your door opened slightly and your head sticking out.

He immediately straightened up. _"What's up?"_

_"Nothing,"_ you said. You tucked a stray hair behind your ear and smiled, making him have another fucking heart attack. _"I just wanted to say goodnight."_

Guzma had _meant_ to say something like 'G'night' back, but stumbled and tripped over the words. You stared at him, obviously waiting for a response, but none came. He quickly became embarrassed and frustrated, and in a slight panic, he slammed the door closed. 

Leaning his head against the wood of the door, he took a few calming breaths before cursing himself. Why did he keep making himself look so damn stupid around her? 

_"What is wrong with you Guzma?!"_ he said loudly, grabbing his hair and pulling it roughly. 

_"I'm so fucking stupid,"_ he fumed. Guzma stood there a few minutes, his hands clenching his hair in a death grip. Eventually he loosened his grip, letting his hands drop to his side. Letting out one last curse, he slammed his hand against the light switch, turning it off; turned to go the fuck to sleep and-

"Fuck!" he yelled, automatically reaching back. He fumbled for a bit and switched back on the light only to see the room as empty as it had been when he walked in. He looked all around, making sure it was his imagination and that he didn't actually see Banette right in front of his damn face. 

Great. First he couldn't get a fucking word out in front of Y/N and now he was seeing things. Guzma turned the lights back off, walked over to the bed and pulled the blankets back roughly before laying down. Closing his eyes, he thought back to his most recent screw up. The least he could've done was nod or something, why'd he have to slam the fucking door? 

_"Idiot,"_ he mumbled. He opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling and continue to quietly rant about how dumb he'd been; but before he could begin, he once again saw a floating Pokemon in front of his face. 

_"Shit!"_ he exclaimed, sitting up quickly. He closed his eyes for a moment then opened them, to make sure he wasn't seeing things - and it was still there. 

Banette was floating in front of him, the zipper on its face tilted up at he corners, clearly amused at having surprised him. 

_"Ya think that's funny huh!?"_ Guzma snarled. He lunged at the Pokemon, wanting to throw it out of the room; instead he felt nothing but air as he crashed onto the floor. 

He sat up slowly, a stream of curse words coming out from under his breath. Looking around the room, he finally caught sight of Bannete going _through_ the door like the damn ghost Pokemon it was. 

Guzma stood, rushed toward the door and lunged at the handle. He yanked the door open so he could run after the damn thing. The moment he stepped outside he felt his feet fly out from under him as he fell back and onto the hard floor. Groaning, he slowly sat up and saw that on the floor in front of his door was covered in what looked to be mud. He would have thought it was shit, but thankfully it didn't smell like it. 

A sound that resembled snickering caught his attention, and he turned to see a figure at the end of the hallway. Standing there by the steps with what looked like a shit eating grin on its face was Krookodile. Guzma glared at it from his position on the floor and opened his mouth, intent on letting a few curses flow out of it. 

He heard the sound of a door swinging open before the hallway light came on, interrupting him before the first of many curses could fly out of his mouth. 

_"Guzma?"_ you mumbled, rubbing your eyes sleepily. _"Are you okay? What happened?"_

Guzma opened his mouth, intent on telling you exactly what kind of shit your Pokemon just put him through, and stopped immediately. You stood there, your hair was loose and you wore only a long shirt that reached just above your knees; it hung off your shoulder a bit. 

Guzma's jaw hit the floor, his cheeks reddened immediately and he began to splutter as he stared at the exposed skin. Later he would wonder why he reacted that way - he'd seen a shit load of other woman prancing around showing more skin than that and he never gave a fuck; but at the moment that didn't matter. In the next few seconds he was up and retreating to his room, mumbling about 'evil Pokemon.' 

o~O~o

That had been only a few days ago and here he was still making sure those two Pokemon weren't lurking around, waiting to do something else to him. Banette apparently enjoyed popping out of walls and startling him, and Krookodile -the mastermind he was sure- liked to switch it up every time, though using mud slap on Guzma seemed to be its favorite. 

He kept an eye out for the two misfits, hesitating in the doorway to the kitchen in case they were there. 

"They're in their Poké Balls," you said after seeing him glance under the table. He grunted in response and walked to the fridge, swinging the door open to look inside. 

"I'm sorry about them by the way," you said. "Banette and Krookodile can get a little out of hand sometimes." You of all people knew Banette and Krookodile liked to pull their little pranks, but they'd been doing them to Guzma nonstop. You hadn't realized what they were doing at first until you caught Krookodile using mud-slap on him. Needless to say, those two weren't getting any Poké Beans for a while. 

"S'alright," he answered, still fumbling around in the fridge. The door to it blocked your view of him so you walked around it to see what he was doing. 

He was standing there, his head tilted back as he drank from the carton of orange juice. 

_"What are you doing?"_ you hissed. Was it so hard to grab a cup? 

Guzma pulled the carton away from his mouth to look at you. "What the hell does it look like I'm doin'? I was thirsty!"

You crossed your arms over your chest. "What if I wanted some?"

"So have some, no ones stoppin' ya."

"Just finish it, it's yours," you grumbled. Leaning past him, you grabbed a plate in the fridge that held the sandwich you made earlier and shoved it in his hand. "Now out. You're temporarily banned from the kitchen." 

Guzma grumbled all the way to the living room. You knew he'd make his way to the fridge again fairly soon. He had a pretty large appetite, and you wondered once again if maybe he hadn't been getting enough food for a long time before coming here. 

You made your way over to the fireplace and sat cross legged on the floor next to Charizard. He immediately lifted his head to rest it on your lap. 

"The snows melting pretty fast," you commented, petting the top of Charizard's head gently. "We'll have to go shopping soon."

_"We?_

"Yes _we_ ," you answered. "We're going to need some more food, and if you're going to be staying here you need to help out."

He was the very picture of apathy. "Fine."

"Good. We can go sometime this week."

"Should probably put salt down today," Guzma stated after taking a large bite of his sandwich. You briefly wondered if it ever occurred to him to speak before stuffing his mouth full of food. "The walkway's probably icy."

"I didn't buy any salt. I hadn't thought of it. Besides, it'll be fine. It should melt by tomorrow."

"You didn't think of it?" he questioned. "Ya can't go the whole damn winter without getting salt. One of us is gonna bust our ass out there. Next year we gotta get-"

"We?" you smiled. "You're planning on staying here that long?"

Guzma's mouth fell open and he immediately felt heat rise to his cheeks. "I didn't mean- fuck. I mean.." he spluttered. He clamped his mouth shut and inwardly cursed himself for once again sounding like a damn idiot in front of you. His hands clenched and unclenched as he filtered through his jumbled thoughts, searching for the right words. 

"Listen Y/N," he began. "I won't stay here if you don't want me to. I get I can't just be mooching off ya and I know you wouldn't want someone like me-"

"I don't mind."

Guzma stopped his rambling and stared at you, turning those three words over in his head. He must be going fucking crazy because he was sure you'd just said you didn't mind him staying. Very subtly, he pinched his arm to make sure this wasn't some dream. When he realized _yes_ , he was actually awake, he said the first thing that came to mind: "Huh?"

You laughed lightly and gently moved Charizard's head off your lap so you could stand. "You can stay here as long as you want." 

"You sure?" he asked. 

"Yes I'm sure," you answered quickly, plopping down on the couch next to him. "So since we'll be living together for a while, we should probably get to know each other a little more." 

Guzma grunted, inconspicuously spreading his legs a bit so they brushed against your own. Ever since you'd helped him up when he fell on his ass in the kitchen, he always found a way to touch you. It was never in a way you would notice, just the slightest brush of his hand against yours when walking past you or letting his legs touch your own for only a second as he got comfortable on the couch. He didn't know why he did it, but for some reason he couldn't just _stop_. 

You asked only a few questions for the moment. How old he was: _'23'_. How long he's lived in Alola: _'My whole damn life.'_ What he did. He had hesitated for just a moment then. _Just a trainer like most the people around here.'_

Guzma was relieved - _and secretly very interested_ -when you had stopped questioning him and began telling him a little bit about yourself. You hadn't asked him too many questions this time, but he knew more would be coming eventually. 

As you went on to tell him how you caught your Banette, Guzma placed his hand on the couch next to where yours rested. His fingers twitched, and he dared to move it just a bit closer. 

"I also heard about this group called Team Skull after moving here," you said as an afterthought. He froze, his hand so close that if he'd move it just a tiny bit more it'd brush against yours. 

"Apparently they were stealing Pokemon," you continued, not noticing how pale Guzma suddenly became. 

"They disbanded," he rushed out. His heart was thumping so fast and so hard, it wouldn't have surprised him if it leapt out of his chest and onto the floor. If anyone asked him why he was reacting this way he wouldn't be able to answer. He didn't have a fucking clue, all he knew was he didn't want you to know he was the ex boss of Team Skull. He liked how things were right now. He liked how you didn't look at him in disgust, how you didn't act like he was somehow 'bellow you'; how you talked to him just as you would anyone else. He especially liked that you weren't afraid of him. 

Who knew how you'd react if you found out not only was he part of Team Skull, he was the fucking boss. Would you be angry with him for not telling you? Or would you be angry with yourself for allowing him around your Pokemon? Would you immediately throw him out? 

One thing was for sure, he didn't want to find out. 

"Did ya hear anything about the boss?" he asked. 

When you shook your head 'no', Guzma nearly sagged in relief. 

"I don't know much about them except the fact that they stole Pokemon," you continued. "Luckily I moved here after they disbanded, otherwise I might have bumped into one of them. I guess I've been pretty lucky huh?"

"Yeah," he muttered, bringing his hand back to his lap. Maybe he'd tell you one day, but right now he was pretty damn content. He was lucky to have dropped face first onto your porch. Sure your Pokemon seemed to have it out for him, but it was worth it. Part of him wished he could do something for you, but really he couldn't think of anything. He thought hard for a few moments, trying to come up with something. 

"Tomorrow.." he started, trailing off when you turned to look at him. 

"What about tomorrow?" 

Guzma's cheeks warmed and he immediately turned to look at the floor, suddenly finding it very fascinating. 

"I'll cook dinner," he murmured. 

"You can cook?" you asked, surprised. He hadn't asked to cook before, maybe he thought you wouldn't want him cooking? Or maybe he was just being lazy? Either way you hadn't minded cooking for both him and yourself. It had been a while since you cooked for someone else and honestly you were happy that he seemed to like your food so much. 

He looked almost offended. 

"Damn right I can cook," he frowned. "Had to learn since I-" he stopped before he could say anymore, and thankfully you didn't say anything about it. 

"We don't have much," you mumbled to yourself. You thought for a minute before smiling at him and saying, "Well, you know what that means right?"

"What?" Though when you answered he immediately regretted opening his damn mouth in the first place. 

"It'll have to be tomorrow but it looks like we're going to have to go," you started, and he filled with dread, "shopping."

_Fan-fucking-tastic._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter was alright! I tried to make it kind of long since I took so long with updating and I added some of the Pokemon a few of you wanted to see, I'm sorry I couldn't include them all but if anyone still wants to se the Pokemon they requested I'll maybe add them into a chapter somehow:) Also thank you soooo much to the people who drew fan art of this story!!!! I was so surprised and happy!! I loved them so much and just yeah thank youuuu :')


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've said this before but I am sooo happy you guys have enjoyed reading the previous chapters :) Thank you for all the comments and the kudos, I really really appreciate them. You guys have been so nice and I wish I could update faster, it's just been hard to find time to write recently. Also, I should've mentioned this before but the readers house (in my mind) is somewhere along route 8 on Akala Island, maybe that spot where that silver Aether trailer(?) is because I just really like that area and it seemed a bit silly to have Guzma 'lost' in the area where the players house is in the game. I also made it so the Thrifty Megamart sells a few clothes because it has plush pillows so why not lol I'm sorry for any typos or if anything's confusing to anyone! I really hope you enjoy this chapter, I didn't go into too much because I'm saving a few things for later chapters :)

"The both of us can fit," you say. The two of you are standing outside your house and really, you just want to leave. Admittedly, you should have left much earlier, but you didn't. Now it was getting late and if either one of you wanted to eat dinner sometime today, you needed to get moving. 

Guzma is quiet for a few moments, staring at you as if you'd lost your mind. "Are you fucking insane?"

"Wha-"

"Ya think I'm stupid enough to get on _him_?," he pointed an accusing finger at Charizard. "Ya want me to die?"

"You're not going to _die_."

"And ya don't even have a saddle on him!" he yelled, gesturing wildly at your Pokemon. "The hell am I supposed to hold on to?"

"Me." 

He opened his mouth to most likely add another reason to his 'why this is a stupid idea' list, but then immediately snapped it shut once he registered what you just said. Suddenly, despite the cold, Guzma's cheeks felt incredibly hot. 

"W-we," he turned away from you to clear his throat before continuing, "could just walk there. It's not that far anyway."

"It's _freezing_."

"It's not any less cold up there," he replied quickly. 

You take out your Pokedex to check how far the Megamart is on the map. You haven't lived here long and so you still aren't sure where everything is. He's right -Royal Avenue isn't that far. It was just past route 7 but the thought of walking there in the cold wasn't very appealing, especially when it'd be faster if the two of you just hopped on Charizard and flew there. 

"Fine," you finally answered. There was no use arguing anymore, he clearly wasn't going to get on Charizard anytime soon. Besides, the sooner you two left, the sooner you'd get back and out of this cold. Not to mention, it really wasn't that far. 

Guzma grinned and turned his attention to Charizard. "Not gonna murder me today ya overgrown lizard," he said before walking off. 

You see your Pokemon raising an arm and you're sure that Charizard is about ready to use dragon claw on him in an attempt to wipe that smug look off his face. You quickly return him to his Poké Ball, promising to let him out later before fallowing Guzma. 

"I've been meaning to ask," you started, staring at the red X on his back as he walked. "Why is there red tape on the back of your sweater?"

"It's coverin' a hole, don't worry about it." After that, the walk to the store is quiet. 

o~O~o

When the two of you walk through the sliding doors of the Megamart, you go to grab a cart and Guzma is stopped by an employee that calls out to him. 

"Welcome to the Thrifty Megamart, where the sales are explosive!" he greeted with a large smile, which very quickly faded once he recognized who he was talking to. 

"O-oh," he faltered. "You're.."

Guzma stalked towards him, effectively shutting him up. "That's right, big bad Guzma is here," he said, low enough so only the employee could hear. He didn't need anyone saying something around you that would reveal he'd been the boss of Team Skull. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw you walking toward the two of them. 

Guzma took a step back. "So what do ya want?" 

"H-here," the man stuttered, holding a shaky hand out. "Have a special discount coupon! It can-"

Guzma plucked the coupon out of his hand and stuffed it in his pocket before turning to you. 

"What was that about?" you asked, looking behind Guzma to see the employee walking briskly away. 

"Gave us a coupon," was his simple answer. He grabbed the handle of the cart and began walking before you could ask anything else. 

The two of you walked side by side, and after only a few moments he began to notice the stares. Most of the time, people made it a point _not_ to make eye contact with him, but today was different. Today their eyes seemed to be glued onto you and him, however, whenever he caught someone staring they'd quickly avert their eyes.

It was probably an odd sight for them he realized. Here he was, the hated former boss of Team Skull shopping at Megamart with a woman who's oversized sweater said "I'm a Little Krabby Today." Under that was a small image of said water Pokemon. It was cute - a word he was sure he'd never used before today. They were probably curious as to why you were walking around with him of all people, not that he could blame them for that. Guzma couldn't help but wonder briefly what they thought you two were. Friends? Former Team Skull boss with a former member? Hell, maybe they thought the two of you were a couple. 

Its only after a few minutes of walking silently that you peek up at him, wondering if he's lost in thought or simply scanning the shelves for something to grab. He's not the most talkative person in the world but he isn't usually this quiet, so it wouldn't surprise you if he's doing either of the two things, but he's doing neither. He's staring ahead and smiling. It isn't his usual grin, it's soft, genuine - no teeth showing, just the small upturn at the corner of his lips. The only other time you've seen it is when he was watching his Pokemon play.

"You're smiling," you said. You don't know why you bring it to attention, but the words are out of your mouth before you can think better of it. 

Guzma almost tripped over his own feet. Without realizing it, he'd been grinning like an idiot. Immediately he forced his lips down into a frown; his eyes flicked away for just a moment to look at his feet before returning back up to your face and then again down at his feet. 

"Hey," you said, touching his arm. He stiffened for just a second and quickly looked at you before relaxing. Your lips curled up in a smile that nearly blew the strength from his knees and his grip on the cart handle tightened. "I like your smile. It's nice."

Guzma was all but blind to everything after that. He didn't notice the stares, didn't pay attention to what aisle you were going down, didn't even notice what the hell you were putting in the cart. It wasn't until you started grumbling under your breath that he snapped out of whatever trance he was in. 

You were standing on your tippy toes in an effort to reach a bottle of soda on the top shelf. Normally you'd probably be able to reach it but the ones in the front had been taken, so you were forced to try and grab one toward the back. 

"Should get milk while we're here" he teased. "Might help ya grow a little, short stack." 

You scowled in his direction, but other than that you ignored both his joke and the sound of him walking toward you. He reached a hand out to grab the bottle off the shelf for you, snickering when you began jumping up and down in an attempt to reach it. 

After easily grabbing the bottle, he dangled it above your head, laughing when you jumped up to grab it. 

You crossed your arms over your chest and frowned at him. "Can you put it in the cart please?" 

"Nah," Guzma grinned. "Think I'll make ya work for it."

"Fine," you answered. "But I was thinking I'd let Krookodile and Banette stay out all night tonight. Maybe they'll pay you a visit." His immediate scowl coaxed a grin out of you - after all the teasing, his annoyance was satisfying. 

Guzma turned, grumbling under his breath as he placed the bottle into the cart. In an effort to ignore your rather triumphant grin, he scanned the shelves to look at what else was in this aisle. Spotting something familiar, he walked forward, staring at the box of Pokémon crackers. 

Guzma picked one up, turning to show you the box he said, "Used to love this shit when I was a kid."

"How about we add it to the cart," you suggested, walking over to take a look at it. You couldn't help but smile when you saw he had picked up the one that only had bug Pokemon. There were a few pictures of what the crackers looked like; you spotted one shaped like a Butterfree and another a Pinsir. "We should get stuff you'll like too."

"Don't have enough money."

"Don't worry about it." You took it out of his hand, intent on putting it in the cart. It was in your possession for only a brief moment before he snatched the box from your hands and placed it back on the shelf. 

"You're already letting me live with you," he mumbled. "I don't want ya having to waste all your money on me too."

You frowned. "I'm not going to go broke by buying one box of crackers."

"Just forget it."

Sighing, you decide to change tactics because dammit you were getting him the stupid crackers. It wasn't expensive, and he had obviously wanted it so why not buy it for him?

"Will you at least go pick out a few clothes while I grab some of the stuff for dinner?"

Guzma frowned and put his hands on his hips. "You're not buyin' me clothes."

"You can't just wear one outfit all the time," you reasoned. 

"I'll buy my own damn clothes." His voice rose toward the end of the sentence, grabbing the attention of a few people passing by. 

"But who knows when you'll be able to?" you asked. He doesn't answer you because whether he likes it or not, you're right. He doesn't have money now, and clothes weren't exactly cheap so who knows when he'd be able to save up for some? You wouldn't mind helping him purchase them, but not being able to buy things for himself obviously frustrates him. 

"Just one outfit," you insisted. "And don't forget underwear." You whisper the last part, very aware of the elderly woman close by the two of you. Every time she looks your way she's frowning, and you really don't want to bring any more attention to yourself. Usually you wouldn't care, but you're new here and you don't know how people will react to you reminding a grown man to get underwear. They probably lived close too so you'd most likely see them again.

"Don't forget what?"

"Underwear," you hissed, glancing at a couple walking by. 

"Didn't catch that Y/N," he grinned. 

" _Underwear_!" you practically shouted. The elderly woman in the aisle is openly staring at you now and you're surprised when Guzma lets out a loud laugh. It takes you a moment to realize he had just been messing with you and your grip tightens on the handle of the cart as you resist the urge to run it over his feet. 

Just as you're considering both the pros and cons of running over his feet, he's walking away saying "Be back in a minute."

You glare at his back for a moment before remembering the crackers. You grab the box quickly and place it in the cart before making your way to the next aisle. 

He isn't gone for long, but you were able to grab a few things and pile it on top of the box of crackers so he doesn't notice them. You wonder if he actually took a moment to pick something out or if he just grabbed the first thing he saw. 

"What are ya putting in there now?" Guzma asked, walking up beside you. He had a sweater and a pair of sweatpants in his arms; you decide not to ask if he grabbed underwear. "Everything's so fuckin' green."

"Vegetables," you answered, walking over to another section. "They're good for you."

"Don't care." He reached in and pushed aside a bag of broccoli. "Where's the meat?"

You ignored him for the moment, looking through a few packages in search of something. 

"We need meat," he said, crossing his arms. "Ya want me to cook don't you?"

"I don't know, I don't want food poisoning," you quipped, dropping a pack of fresh fillets into the cart. 

He grinned, deciding maybe tagging along to do a little shopping with you wasn't so bad after all. He didn't really remember why he was so reluctant to come yesterday. Thinking about it, he realized the last time he went grocery shopping with someone had to be with his mother when he was younger. He never really considered it _horrible_ but he certainly never enjoyed it as much as he did right now. 

The two of you continued your shopping for a little while longer. You spotted something and ran off for a moment, leaving him to grab a couple of things. When you got back, he saw you stuffing whatever it was you got into your bag. 

"Didn't peg ya for the stealin' type," he said, eyebrows raised. 

"Don't worry, I paid for it. Just didn't want you to see it yet." you explained. 

Now he was really curious. He opened his mouth to ask you what it was but you spoke before he could. 

"Guzma?" you asked, looking around at the few people in the aisle with the two of you. You shifted from one foot to the other before continuing. "Why are they staring-"

"Ignore 'em," he grunted, tightening his hands into fists. Let people stare at him, he didn't give a shit, but the fact that it was making you uncomfortable pissed him off. Turning his attention to the nearest person, he narrowed his eyes, ready to tell them to _fuck off_. 

"Come on," you said, placing a hand on his arm. "We just need to grab one last thing."

He reluctantly followed you to where they held the cold drinks. You opened the door, feeling a blast of cold air hit your face. After scanning the items, you reached in and grabbed the carton of orange juice and placed it in the cart before reaching for another one. 

"Why are you getting two of 'em anyway?" Guzma asked. 

"As if you don't know," you huffed, snatching the second bottle from the shelf and dropping it into the cart. "One for me, and one for you." 

As you walk away toward the register, he follows behind you with a lopsided grin. 

o~O~o

"Here," you said, handing Guzma a few Poké Beans. You place a small bag on the floor before sitting on the couch next to him. You watch as he hands a few to his Golisopod and then to your Typhlosion. Both had been extremely helpful on the walk back home. Golisopod helped carry a few bags; you imagined it looked pretty funny to anyone walking by - a large bug Pokemon carrying shopping bags. Typhlosion helped keep the two of you warm, walking by you as it produced flames across the back of its neck. 

"Thank you for dinner by the way." It was a pleasant change to see someone else cooking in your kitchen. When it was time to eat and you had taken a seat at the table, he had said _'If ya don't like it, don't eat it.'_ You couldn't be sure, but he had looked a little sheepish. He wouldn't even touch the food on his plate until you began eating. After that he kept his eyes on his food, only glancing up once in a while to see if you were still eating. 

His leg brushes against yours as he shifts to get more comfortable. "So," he takes a moment before continuing the sentence. You watch him rub the back of his neck before letting his hand fall on his lap where he starts to fidget with the bracelets on his wrist. "Ya liked it?"

"Loved it," you answered. It wasn't a lie, you really did love the food he made and hoped he wouldn't mind making it again someday. "No one's cooked for me in a long time."

"Never cooked for anyone before." He still isn't looking at you, but you see the faint curve to his lips. He probably doesn't realize he's smiling, and this time you decide not to bring attention to it. 

"I've got something for you," you said, breaking the silence. You bend down to pull the crackers out of the bag. 

Guzma turned to look at what you were doing. "What?"

"This," you grinned triumphantly, holding the box out like it was some sort of prize. 

"Thanks." It's quiet, and if you hadn't seen his lips move you would have thought you imagined it. He takes the box from your hands and says, "I'll pay you back. For the clothes too."

"You don't have to." Guzma opened his mouth to object, but you cut him off. "But if it's going to bother you that much every time we go shopping, how about we take turns paying? I pay one time, the next time you pay. Sound good?"

"I told ya I don't have money." He sounds annoyed, and you know it's not because of you. He's most likely frustrated with himself; angry that he can't just whip the money out and hand it to you right now. 

"I know," you said softly. "But you said you're a trainer right? You can-"

"A lot of the people 'round here don't wanna battle me." He opened the box and grabbed a cracker, inspecting the Butterfree shaped treat before tossing it in his mouth. 

You took your Pokédex out of your pocket and opened up the map in search of the beach you had read about earlier. 

"Here." You turned your Pokédex to show him the map. "Right here," you pointed at the screen, "there's a beach at Hano Grand Hotel. They pay you to chuck Pyukumuku back into the water. They come back everyday so if you ever need the extra cash you could always go back."

"Probably wouldn't want me helping out," he grumbled. "Not sure if you noticed but people don't really like me around here."

You sighed, placing the Pokédex on your lap. "I don't get why they don't."

"Doesn't matter." 

"I'm not going to rush you. Just think about it okay? Please?"

Guzma stayed quiet, staring at the spot where your leg touched his. You wish you knew what he was thinking, and wondered if he was just going to stay quiet. You're just about to give up on waiting for an answer when he says, "Fine."

Before you could say anything in response he asks, "What was that thing ya got earlier?" 

"What?" The question comes out of nowhere, so you're momentarily confused by it. You think back to what you bought today; he's seen the food, you showed him the crackers. So what-

"The thing you stuffed in your bag that I thought ya stole. Said you didn't want me seein' it yet."

"Oh _that_ ," you smile. "Just something for you to wear around the house. I put it on your bed." 

He's up and walking toward the steps in an instant. He must've really wanted to know what it was. You're glad he didn't see it in the store, he probably would have returned it immediately.

He isn't up there long. When he comes down, he's looking everywhere but at you. You're slightly surprised to see he's already changed into the t-shirt. On it, there was a small picture of a Caterpie and above that were the words 'Don't Bug Me'.

"It fits," you said. You're unable to wipe the smile from your face. "Do you like it?"

He mumbles something under his breath that you can't quite catch, but you could swear it's something along the lines of _'would've been better with a Wimpod.'_

"I forgot to say this," you began. "Thank you for going shopping with me. I had fun today." 

He's staring at you with his mouth open and the tips of his ears are turning red. He's frozen like that for only a few moments before he's rubbing the back of his head, going on about _"How the hell do you have fun shoppin'?"_ It's moments like this where you wish you could just ask him about his past, or simply ask him why he thinks people don't like him. Why is it every time you say something nice he looks at you as if you said something he simply can't comprehend? You'd like to ask him a lot of things, but you decide now isn't the time for serious questions. 

"By the way," you interrupt, though you hadn't been paying too much attention to what he'd been saying now. You stretch your legs out on the sofa; there's no room for him on it now unless he sits on your legs. "It's your turn to do the dishes tonight."

Guzma gave a long suffering sigh as he dragged his feet to the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was 2 in the morning when I got to where this chapter would be ending soon so I ended up rushing it towards the end I'm sorry about that! Also I really want to thank the people who made fan art of this story! I loved them and I was so happy you shared them with me :) my Tumblr is xephemerall if anyone wants to ask any questions about the chapter or just talk! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!! Finally!! It took a long time for me to get back the motivation to write and I wanna thank you guys for being so patient with me. I was going through a tough time but things are getting better; I also want to thank everyone who sent me encouraging messages on Tumblr, you don't know how much I appreciated it :) Also- everyone who's left a review: Thank Youuuuu So Muchhh!!!! I don't know how many times I've come back just to read over them. They really helped me get my motivation back and I really really appreciated all the kind words :) It's been a whileee since I've written, so I'm sorry if it takes me a bit of time to get back into the swing of things & I hope this chapter turned out alright!

"Remind me again where we're goin'," Guzma said, holding out another Poké Bean for your Beedrill. 

" _You're_ going to Heahea city," you answered, glancing at your Beedrill who's decided to stay very close to Guzma. It doesn't surprise you really; you're sure he's been sneaking your Pokémon a large amount of Poké Beans whenever he gets the chance. "I'm just walking with you a bit, then I'm going to go explore the island. I've been here over a month and still haven't really gone anywhere." 

Guzma stuffed his hands in his pockets and frowned a bit. "Thought you were gonna let me show ya around the islands."

"You still can," you said lightly. "I'm staying here on Akala Island, I just want to explore a little. Besides, didn't you say you were going to visit a friend today?"

"Yeah," he grunted. "Plumes lives over on Ula'ula island, so I'll be over there." He turns his head away from Beedrill and watches you search in your bag for something. "Don't know why I'm even bothering to go to Heahea. Even if anyone decided to battle me I'd hardly make enough-"

"Here," you interrupted, pulling whatever it was you had been searching for out of your bag and holding it out to him. 

He glanced at your hand before removing his own from his pocket. "What is it?"

"It's an amulet coin. My grandmother gave it to me. It doubles the prize money when you win a battle," you explain. "Just make sure one of your Pokémon is holding it."

"I can't-"

"Just hold onto it for me. Please." You placed it in his hand slowly, giving him time to protest and smiling when he didn't. "Okay here's where I leave."

"What? _Here_?" he asked, looking down the dirt road. "You going to the ranch?"

You shook your head. "No, around route 5 there's a place called Brooklet Hill. I'm gonna go there and maybe check out Lush Jungle later. We're meeting back at the house for dinner right?"

"Your turn to cook today," he grinned. 

"Yeah, yeah," you stuck your tongue out at him and called for your Beedrill to follow you. "See you at six," you said, walking away. You glance back at him, expecting to see him begin his walk to Heahea, but instead he's in the same spot, staring at the amulet coin and rubbing the surface with his thumb. 

"Hey," you called. He brought his gaze back up to you and you smiled. "Don't worry okay?"

Guzma looked like he was ready to spit out something rather sarcastic, so before he could, you gave him one last reassuring smile and yelled out, "You can do it!," before turning and continuing on your way. 

_You can do it._

He knew you didn't know, didn't understand how amazing it was for him to hear someone say that to _him_ of all people. He was always the useless fuck up who couldn't do anything right. Yet there you were, saying those four simple words that had him feeling like once he starts walking he's in a trance and smiling like an idiot. 

Once he reaches Heahea city he hesitates for only a brief moment before making his way toward the ferry terminal. While he usually made the argument that most people didn't want to battle him, you suggested he try challenging tourists coming into the city. It was such a simple solution that Guzma nearly bashed his head against the wall in a fit of anger for not thinking of it himself. 

His anger only lasted a few seconds because when he muttered a half-assed 'fine', you had looked so damn _happy_ that he couldn't stop the surge of joy that flew through him even if he wanted to. Moments like this happen frequently when he's with you and still the amount of joy he feels never fails to surprise him. He's only been living with you for about a month and a half, and he can't remember a time when he was happier than he is now. For once in his life things were going pretty smoothly and it gave him a slither of hope that maybe with you, he could start over. Maybe this time he'd do things right. 

When he sees the terminal up ahead he pulls out Golisopod's Poké Ball, but his steps are slowing and he's already second guessing himself as he watches a group of people heading toward the nearby hotel. 

_"You can do it."_

"Alright buddy," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "Time to give these tourists a beat down."

o~O~o

Guzma wasn't really sure what to expect when he met up with Plumeria. The last time he saw her, she'd been pissed at him because he had disbanded Team Skull. He hadn't talked to her since then and only recently had he answered one of her texts. She hadn't _seemed_ angry, but then again how could he really tell over a text message? They hadn't talked much, but did agree to meet up at the Pokémon center near where she lived. Maybe she'd greet him with a punch to the arm or a kick in the balls, but either way he wasn't about to let it sour his good mood. 

Y/N's idea had worked out great. Despite them being tourists, he was sure none of them would want to battle him. Maybe they had heard about Team Skull on the news, or read about it in the papers. They would take one look at him and hop right back on the ferry, and he'd have to tell you he wouldn't be able to pay for the groceries this weekend. 

Guzma had paced back and forth in front of the ferry terminal, ignoring everyone that walked by him. After cursing himself for being a damn coward, he turned and had practically yelled at the next person who came out, demanding they battle him. 

It was a young couple and to his surprise, they agreed immediately. He couldn't remember the last time he had a double battle, but sure as hell wasn't about to back out now. So, with a large grin forming on his face, he brought out Golisopod and Pinsir. 

Guzma had to stop himself from breaking out into a victory dance when he won, and couldn't wipe the triumphant grin off his face when he was handed the prize money. He almost forgot about the amulet coin he'd given Golisopod to hold, so when he was given double what he'd been expecting he nearly yelled out _'Fuck yes!'_ right then and there. 

The battle had attracted the attention of a few more tourists, and he had been more than happy to accept the next challenge. He won the next one, and then the next; only stopping when his Pokémon were becoming tired and he knew he was supposed to be meeting Plumeria soon. Still ecstatic over his wins, he had pulled out his dex just to tell you about them and the reply came almost immediately:

_'Congrats! Knew you could do it'_

So if Plumeria wanted to go on about how pissed she still was, that was fine. He was happy as fuck and nothing was gonna ruin his mood. He couldn't wait to show you how much money he made today. He could actually help with the shopping for once and probably still have some money left over.

Hell, maybe he could even take you out for dinner. 

Guzma wasn't stupid. He didn't know shit about romance and wasn't sure how to accurately express his feelings, but he wasn't stupid. 

He liked Y/N. 

What he would do with this information, he hadn't a fucking clue. What he knew about romance was what he saw in those sappy movies. Sometimes the guy would take the girl out to dinner a few times; they'd laugh and talk, and an hour later they were a happy couple. It was bullshit and he knew it, but for a brief moment he wished it could be that easy. 

Guzma sighed and rubbed the back of his head. He could see the Pokémon center now and Plumeria was already there, leaning against the building and watching her Salazzle walk around. He stopped walking, wondering for a moment if maybe he could just turn around and leave before she saw him. The thought had just finished forming in his mind when she finally looked up, making eye contact. 

Her face didn't betray a spec of emotion as she pushed herself off the wall and began walking towards him. They weren't too far from each other so when he saw her begin to run, he braced himself just in time for her to embrace him in what could only be described as an attack. 

Guzma stood there awkwardly, only moving to pat her back a little. 

"You really are a prime idiot, you know that?" Plumeria mumbled. 

Guzma merely grunted as she pulled away. "Good to see ya too," he grinned, and she laughed, pushing his arm lightly before walking toward the cliff overlooking the water. Leaning against one of the trees, she returned her Salazzle to its Poké Ball and nodded toward the nearby building. 

"Want to grab some Tapu Cocoa?" 

"Nah I'm good," he answered, not noticing the look of surprise that flits across her face. 

"Okay," she murmured, frowning a bit. She couldn't remember a time where Guzma refused Tapu Cocoa, but despite the oddity of it, she decides not to ask. She's just glad to see he's alright, and though they haven't seen each other in a while it doesn't feel awkward. "So where've you been anyway?" 

Immediately he stiffens and begins to look everywhere other than her. "Been stayin' with someone," he mumbled. 

"Oh yeah?" Plumeria raised an eyebrow and waited patiently for him to continue. When it was silent for a few moments and it became obvious he wasn't going to elaborate, she asked, "So, who's been nice enough to take your sorry ass in?"

Guzma kicked at the ground a little and rubbed the back of his head. He was reluctant to answer, because answering would lead to more questions and he knew she'd realize his feelings for you pretty quickly. Plumeria was one person he couldn't hide anything from and while it was nice having someone to talk to about pretty much anything, right now he wished she wasn't so observant. "Y/N."

"Who?"

"Ya don't know her," he answered. "She moved here from Kanto little over a month ago."

"Uh huh.." Plumeria watched him carefully. "So tell me about her. What does she look like? Maybe I've seen her around."

Guzma pulled his Pokédex out of his pocket and opened up the photos. He scrolled through a few before deciding on the one with you and your Beedrill. You were laughing, he forgot about what, and your Beedrill was flying by happily. This was probably his favorite picture; he stared at it for a minute before handing it to Plumeria to look at.

"She's pretty," she observed. "Never seen her though." 

Plumeria looked away from the picture to observe Guzma. He was looking everywhere but at her and she couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face. "Does she know you took that pic?"

Now he began messing with the bracelets on his wrist. "No."

It took only a moment before she began shaking slightly with suppressed laughter, and when he saw that, he quickly tried to think up an excuse. 

"I was tryin' to take a picture of her Beedrill, she just.. happened to be there."

_Now_ she laughed despite her best efforts to hold it in. It was a lousy excuse and both of them knew it. Guzma glared at her, and though she couldn't hear what he said next, she was sure he was cursing up a storm. 

"Wow," she breathed, after calming down a bit. "Never thought I'd see the day big bad Guzma has a crush."

"Shut the fuck up," he spat, slouching a bit more than usual. 

Plumeria chuckled once more before slowly letting her smile fall. "Listen G.." she began hesitantly, handing the Pokédex back to him. "She doesn't want anything right? You know, for helping you out?"

"Nah, hardly asks me for anythin' really." He stared at the photo a moment, his lips quirking up at the corners. "Just asked that I help out a little. Cleanin', shoppin', shit like that."

"That's good." Plumeria watched as he stared at the picture for a few more moments before pocketing the dex. "I'm just worried you know? Lusamine-"

"She's not like her," he rushed out, running a hand through his hair. Plumeria tensed up when his hand grabbed a fistful of hair. She was never sure what to do in this situation; there was no reasoning with him when he got into one of his moods so usually it was best to just leave him to have his moment in private. One time when she had attempted to talk to him in order to calm him down, he'd promptly told her to leave him the fuck alone before he began throwing whatever he could get his hands on. Although nothing was aimed at her, it had managed to scare the hell out of her. 

Now as she stared at the hand currently holding his hair, she held her breath and waited for the yelling to start. A moment passed, then another, and finally his hand loosened his grip on his hair and she slowly let out the breath she'd been holding. 

Guzma brought his hand down to reach into his pocket. Plumeria watched him closely, wary and curious. Slowly, almost as if he thought it might break, he took out what looked to be an amulet coin. He rubbed his thumb over the surface of it and said, "She's nothin' like her alright?"

"Alright," Plumeria conceded. She stayed quiet , watching him curiously for a bit before grinning a little, trying to lighten the mood again. "So tell me, how'd you two meet anyway?" 

"I passed out on her front porch."

o~O~o

"What do they mean _'try harder'_ ," you huffed, scrolling through the rest of the comments. "That was a good picture.."

You had been extremely excited to explore the island you'd been living on for over a month. Everything was just so new and exciting; so with your Pokédex in hand you had searched around Brooklet Hill. The area was beautiful, and you couldn't help but take a few pictures, especially when you kept spotting Pokémon playing in the water. What started out as one or two pictures using the Poké Finder quickly turned into five, which then became ten and eventually you had taken and uploaded so many pictures that the battery for you dex was about to die. 

While slightly disappointed you'd have to quit taking photographs for the day, you decided to keep on exploring a bit. There was still a few hours left before you'd have to head home for dinner, so you placed your Pokédex in your bag and headed into Lush Jungle. 

Twigs snapped beneath your feet as you walked. It was darker here, the sky had almost vanished completely behind the treetops and only a few fragments of blue remained- like scattered pieces of an impossible puzzle. 

It took only a few minutes of walking for you to come across a few Pokémon. You saw a Caterpie slowly making its way up a tree, you passed a Trumbeak that was perched atop a branch; once in a while a few Butterfree would fly past you. You walked until you reached a small clearing where a streak of sunlight poked through the trees and touched the forest floor. Your goal had been to thoroughly explore the area, but it was so beautiful and peaceful here - a picture of serenity, and you couldn't help but just want to sit and enjoy it. 

Deciding that was exactly what you were going to do, you sat yourself down on the ground and laid back, sighing happily. Part of you wished that Guzma was here with you, enjoying the tranquil atmosphere just as you were. Despite living together, he still refrained from telling you too much about his past or his family. Still, you enjoyed the time the two of you spent together. One time, you had finished the last of the Pokémon crackers, and the next time the two of you purchased them he made sure to put it on the highest shelf of the cabinet, pushing it toward the back to ensure you couldn't reach it. He liked to spoil your Beedrill and Typhlosion by sneaking them Poké Beans. He seemed to really enjoy the times the two of you would just relax on the couch to watch a movie with your Pokémon out and relaxing. The more time you spent with him the more you didn't understand why he said people around here didn't exactly like him. 

Maybe you'd find out one day, but for now you were just going to relax. You'd been out walking around for hours and now you were comfy, it was quiet, and you suddenly felt very tired. Yawning, you closed your eyes, wanting to rest a bit. Just for a few minutes. 

There beneath the trees, and the warmth of the sun you fell asleep. 

The next time you opened your eyes you were chilly and could see stars peeking out from behind the treetops. 

"Oh no." 

o~O~o

"Hey," Plumeria pushed his arm lightly. "Keep in touch alright?"

"Yeah, sure," he answered quickly, his thumbs moving rapidly to type out a text to you saying he was on his way back. 

"You sure you have to leave now? We can grab some Tapu Cocoa real quick at the café. My treat."

Guzma shook his head and waved his dex. "Gotta get home to meet Y/N."

When was the last time he used that word? _Home._ His parents house never really felt like home, if anything he preferred to spend the least amount of time possible there. The shady house felt more like a home but it was more of a place of operation, a lair really. Hell, if anyone told him a year ago that he'd even utter the word home again he might have been stuck between laughing his ass off or punching them in the face. And now? He probably didn't deserve to be but _fuck_ , he had a _home_ and he was _happy_. 

"Answer my texts once in a while so I know you're not dead," Plumeria called. 

Guzma merely grunted noncommittally before calling out a _'See ya'_ over his shoulder. 

By the time he got back to the house it was already six thirty and you weren't back yet. 

It was fine. You were probably just late like he was, he reasoned. He pulled out his dex and sent you a quick text saying he was back before walking into the kitchen to make himself some Crabrawler instant noodles. 

An hour passed and he began to get nervous, checking his Pokédex constantly. It wasn't like you to not answer him for this long. Maybe he was worrying over nothing, you were probably out catching Pokémon and hadn't noticed the messages he left. So he sat on the couch and laid his Pokédex on his lap so he wouldn't miss a text from you. 

After another hour passed Guzma was pacing back and forth in the living room, his dex to his ear as he tried for the third time to call you. Was he overreacting? You weren't a kid, you could stay out as long as you wanted to. But hadn't you said you would meet him back here for dinner? Wouldn't you have let him know you'd be home late? When you didn't pick up the fifth time he began pulling his hair. 

After it hit the third hour he was rushing out the door. You should've been home by now, sitting on the couch with him and scolding him for spoiling your Pokémon. You'd argue with him over who gets to pick what to watch tonight. Maybe he'd win this time or maybe you would, and maybe you'd doze off for a bit right when it got to the good part. He'd pause it so you wouldn't miss anything and when you woke up he'd lie and say he only did it because he couldn't hear the tv over your snoring. 

"Fuck!" He tripped over something he didn’t see while running down the street, falling to the ground and swearing wildly under his breath as he did. His heart was racing and he could feel his pulse beating in his ears, blocking out all other sound except his ragged breathing. 

Were you hurt? Were you still exploring the island? You wouldn't have just run off right? Guzma took in a slow deep breath. It was a stupid thought, in the back of his mind he knew you wouldn't just leave him, but he couldn't think straight now and that sudden irrational thought just wouldn't leave. 

After taking a few more deep breaths he stood slowly and was just about to start running again when he felt his dex vibrate in his pocket. He reached into his pocket and quickly tugged it out, almost dropping it in the process. A text message showed on the screen, your name above it and relief crashed through him, so strong he thought he was going to collapse.

_Srry couldn't respond, on my way now_

o~O~o

Guzma was sitting on the steps of your front porch when you got home. You placed Charizard's Poké Ball into your bag, watching from the corner of your eyes as he stood. When finally you looked at him you immediately saw how angry he was. His eyes were narrowed, his nostrils flared, his hands closed into fists at his sides. 

You took a step forward. "Guzma-"

"Where the hell did ya go?!" he shouted, causing you to jump. He had never raised his voice like this around you before and it was a bit frightening. 

"I'm so sorry," you rushed out, wringing your hands. 

"What the hell were you thinkin'?” he asked, walking to close the gap between the two of you. His voice grew louder with each step. "I was waiting for you for hours!"

Your shoulders slumped and you looked away from him, focusing your gaze on the ground instead. "I lost track of time," you explained softly. "I stopped and decided to take a quick nap. By the time I woke up I realized how late it was and-."

"I thought you left-" Guzma stopped himself just before he could finish that sentence: _I thought you left me._ Just the thought caused a physical ache in his chest. 

"I'm sorry," you said softly. "I just took a little longer getting back."

"Ya could've told me you were okay!" he exclaimed. "What the fuck was I supposed to think!?"

You flinched, his yelling again startling you, and immediately he took a step back. His eyes widened a bit and all of a sudden he was backing away from you. 

"Shit, I didn't mean to- I'm just- _Fuck_!" His hands reached up and roughly began tugging at his hair. "Guzma what is _wrong_ with you!"

You stood frozen, watching him pull at his hair. You've never seen him like this and it scared you; here he was hurting himself and you had no idea what to do. 

"Guzma stop!" You reached towards him and this time he was the one to flinch. You paused in your movements for only a second, your hands up and showing your palms. You took it all in: his hands pulling his hair, the flinch when you raised your hands toward him; what he yelled at himself. You wanted to ask him, but now was definitely not the time and you were pretty sure you knew the answer. Someone at some point in time had hurt him. You clenched your teeth and took in a deep breath, fighting the intense wave of anger you suddenly felt at whoever the person was. 

"Please," you whispered, slowly placing your hands atop of his. "Please stop."

You felt his hands loosen their tight grip. They shook slightly under yours, and his breathing was slightly ragged. 

"Hey," your hand ran up and down the length of his arm in a comforting gesture. "It's okay."

"Y/N, "I'm-

"It's okay," you repeated. "I'm sorry for making you worry."

Guzma took a few moments to take in a couple of deep breaths before finally bringing his hands away from his hair. 

"I wasn't worried," he grumbled, turning away from you suddenly. "I just didn't wanna have to find another place to stay." 

You laughed then, both happy and relieved that he seemed to calm down now. You didn't notice Guzma turn his head to stare at you, a blush burning his cheeks. 

"I guess it's too late to cook dinner."

He could ask you now he realized. He could offer to treat you to dinner, there were restaurants still open. But it was late, you probably just wanted to relax, and even if he wanted to ask he knew once he started the words wouldn't get past the lump in his throat. 

If this was a movie, maybe he would be able to push past the lump and finally say what he wanted to say. He'd ask you out on a date and maybe luck would be on his side for once and you'd say yes. He'd be a sweaty nervous mess but he'd be happy as hell and maybe he'd have a chance with you. It would be perfect and everything would flow easily just like in the movies because the movies made it seem so simple. 

"There's a Slowpoke tail sandwich in the fridge."

But this wasn't some movie where everything would turn okay in the end, this was real life. _His_ life, and nothing was ever simple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote this chapter a few times and I just hope you guys like it :) It's going to take me a bit to get back into the flow of writing so please be patient with me! and just a reminder: you can message me anytime on Tumblr if you want to talk about Guzma or anything really - it's xephemerall


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